Mosquitoes,Ticks & Chiggers – Eluding the Bite!

If you have spent any amount of time in the outdoors you’ve no doubt had a run in with one or all of these biting bugs. If you’re a turkey hunter…putting up with these guys comes with the territory. Biting insects pretty much go hand in hand with turkey hunting.

Most of my turkey hunting time, which is almost every day of the season, is spent hunting Osceolas in Florida. There may be some other places in North America that best Florida for biting, stinging bugs but were near the top of the list, guaranteed. This makes devising a plan to defeat the bugs a real must

The First Line of Defense!

I Like to avoid using chemicals when ever I can. During dry years when the mosquitos are relatively tame, most of the time I can get by using a Bug Tamer jacket and no repellant. The Bug Tamer has a mesh outer shell with a large chord mesh interior that holds the outer shell off your skin just far enough that the mosquito’s beak can’t reach you. Over the years they have used a few different sizes on the mesh outer shell including some that are tight enough that a no-see um probably can’t get through. I have (3) different versions and camo styles myself.

I almost never use inspect repellant directly on my skin! I just don’t like it and it’s a poor choice for deer hunting anyway. Obviously, turkeys don’t smell so the odor part is not an issue. I consider this a last resort option.

My second line of defense!

Treat my clothing with an insecticide that is designed for this application. There are a number of companies that sell this product such as “Repel Permanone ” and “ARI Tick Stuff “. One name for it is “Permanone” but the active ingredient is “Permethrin”. As a word or caution….read the warning label on Permethrin….it is not to be applied to your skin! It is for treating clothing only!

Permethrin is the only pesticide approved by the EPA for this uses. When it is applied properly, permethrin binds tightly to the fabrics, resulting in little loss during washing and minimal transfer to the skin. It will reportedly last through multiple washings. Also, Permethrin is poorly absorbed through the skin, although sunscreens and other products may increase the rate of skin absorption.

Permethrin is a common synthetic chemical, widely used as an insecticide, acaricide, and insect repellent. It belongs to the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids and functions as a neurotoxin.

The chemical binds to the fabric being treated and actually kills insects that come in contact with it. This stuff works incredibly well. You absolutely will not get a tick or chigger while wearing cloths that have been pre-treated with this product. Since I use a Bug Tamer jacket I only treat my pants and saves me a little money. However, If you sit down in high grass or come in contact with brush above the waste line, it’s possible you could get a bug on you that way. The jacket and treated pants will eliminate 99% of them anyway.

I have seen ticks literally jump off my pants trying to get away from this stuff! It’s a beautiful thing to see!

You can also treat your head net with the Permanone when the mosquitoes are extra bad. I try to avoid it but sometimes it’s a must. Mosquitoes react a little differently than ticks and it takes a few minutes of buzzing around before they realize your not something they want to eat and leave. You’ll sit down and get swarmed but after a few minutes you’ll realize, they’ve all disappeared!

Additionally, the U.S. Military has been using permethrin to treat combat uniforms for over 20 years in order to better protect soldiers from the risk and annoyance of biting insects.

With this combination you’ll be able to keep yourself pretty much bite free while hunting or scouting.

Oh yeah, your wife will appreciate it when you and your cloths come home, bug free!

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